Mister Funny-Man
by Songwind
Summary: ANOTHER Xel ficcy! OK, after Try Xellos is traveling when he is reminded painfully of why he became a Mazoku. Warning, lil' ooc. Please review!


Mister Funny Man  
By Songwind  
Notes- Xellos comes across a village and a dying girl, and is reminded of his past and why he became a Mazoku. POOR XELLOS!!  
Disclaimer- Sadly, I don't own or know Xellos or any of the Slayers.  
  
~*~  
  
Xellos was traveling. Again. Well, he was always traveling, but it had a strange feel to it now. Sure, he was used to the idea of traveling, but for the last few months he'd been more or less traveling with a group. Now, he was completely alone traveling.  
  
He didn't really mind the change, but it was a little odd not hearing Lina screaming "Fireball" at every turn, or Gourry asking a stupid question. Or even Filia calling him... well, whatever she felt like calling him at the moment. He grinned a little at the thought. It had been very amusing.   
  
But now, at least, he didn't have to manipulate anyone around him constantly. Sure, it was great fun, especially when Filia or Lina or even Zelgadis got ticked off, but it was also work. Now he had a chance to be lazy until Zelas came up with another mission for him.   
  
But the next one shouldn't be for at least a few months, he decided. After all, she insisted on courtesy, and it would be rude for her to try and take over the world when the world was still recovering from almost being destroyed only a week or so ago. She would wait for a short while until courtesy requirements were met, then she would move in quickly with him and the other Mazoku under her command.  
  
After all, the purpose to saving the world before was so the Mazoku could destroy it themselves. Those people- those gods- had been from another world. If they'd wanted to blow up a world, why, they could go blow up their own place. They had no right to barge in and ruin the Mazoku's fun!  
  
Xellos looked down in surprise to see a ball right in front of him- he'd almost tripped over it. He bent down to pick it up as a little human boy ran out to get it, laughing and carrying on. The boy couldn't have been more than six or seven.   
  
"Can I have my ball please?" he asked politely.  
  
The Priest twirled the ball on one index finger, then lightly tossed it to the boy. "Here you are."  
  
"Hey, you're a Funny-Man, aren't you?" the boy asked, suddenly delighted as he caught the ball. "Have you come to perform at our village?"  
  
"Funny-Man...?" Xellos was puzzled for a moment, then realized the boy was talking about a gleeman. "Well, I'm just traveling for now." No need to tell the boy he was really a Mazoku on a vacation.  
  
"Oh, can you come and do stuff at our place? Please?" the boy begged. "We'll feed you and let you stay the night and all that stuff!"  
  
/Whatever happened to not talking to strangers?/ Xellos wondered, then smiled. "You are a kind boy."  
  
"So you'll come?" the boy asked hopefully.  
  
"Well..." /Ah, why not. I've nothing better to do. It might be interesting pretending to be a jester. I could make things appear and disappear out of 'thin air' with ease, after all.../ "If your family will not object..."  
  
"They won't, they won't!" the boy said, hopping up and down. "Come on, come on Mister Funny-Man! I'll let ya meet my mom!" He grabbed Xellos' hand.  
  
On impulse Xellos almost snatched it back. Contact with someone made their emotions that much more clear and stronger to the Mazoku, and the boy was filled with trust and happiness. It was enough to make him feel slightly ill. However, with a great effort he only smiled at the boy and let himself be dragged along the road.  
  
"So what kinda tricks do you do, Mister Funny-Man?" the boy asked cheerfully.  
  
"Ah, if I told you that, that would ruin the tricks themselves, you know!" Xellos said, holding up one index finger and wagging it.  
  
"Aw..." But the boy couldn't be depressed for long. "Can you show me one all for myself after you meet my mom?"  
  
"I suppose..." /I really hope he lives somewhere close by. I can't take these emotions for long.../  
  
However, as they neared the house, he felt a different emotion radiate from the boy. There was a little hope, some excitement, but then some sadness and a little fear. At what, Xellos couldn't tell, even in physical contact, but he knew something was wrong with the boy's home.  
  
/Something that requires a Funny-Man to make things better,/ he thought. His curiosity rising, he allowed himself to be dragged in the door.  
  
"Mom, mom! There's a Funny-Man to see us!" the boy yelled.   
  
"Dear, don't yell in the house, you know your sister's very tired in the afternoon," came a voice from a nearby doorway. A human woman came out, looking tired. She smiled at Xellos. "Hello, are you truly a traveling performer?"  
  
"That's what I've been told!" Xellos said, putting a hand behind his head. He was careful not to say anything else. She didn't need to know he was a Mazoku, either.  
  
"Well, would you be so kind to stay the night and have dinner with us? We could use some jokes and tricks!" the woman said.  
  
There was a mixture of despair and hope in her emotions. Xellos craved to know the source of the despair. "It would be wonderful to sleep under a roof," he said politely.  
  
"Wonderful! Dan and Kelsi both love performers!" the mother said. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I am making some fish for dinner."  
  
The boy- Dan- made a face. "Aw, fish! No one likes fish, Mom!" he complained.  
  
"You mean you don't like fish. Why don't you entertain the nice man?"  
  
Dan lit up. "OK! C'mon, Mister Funny-Man!" he grabbed Xellos' hand again and dragged him outside. "So will you show me a trick now?"  
  
Xellos started pulling cloths out from 'nowhere' to the boy's delight, going so far as to pull an almost worthless coin out of the boy's ear.   
  
The boy laughed, clapping his hands. "Wow, thanks! Hey, um, Mister Funny-Man..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I was wondering... Would you like to see my sister?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well, she's a little sick. It's not conta- con... contag... uh, no one can catch what she's got!" he said defensively.  
  
/It's contagious, boy,/ Xellos thought. "Sick? That's too bad. It's so sad when people get sick." /Sad for them, anyway. Good feeding ground for me./  
  
"Yeah. The doctors say it's... it's... fate... fate-all. Do you know what that means?"  
  
"Well... what do you think it means?" Xellos asked back.  
  
"Well, I think maybe it's like it was her fate to get sick, but now she's gonna get better! Right?"  
  
Xellos raised an eyebrow slightly. /So his sister has some sort of sickness that's fatal. No wonder the mother is in despair. Perhaps it won't be too bad to see this little girl. After all, if the sickness is painful.../ "Why don't we see your sister," he suggested.   
  
"Alright! Will you do tricks for her?"  
  
"Why not?" /Maybe her mother will be there.../  
  
So Xellos was forced to endure being dragged back into the house, but this time into one of the rooms that was cut off from everywhere else by a thick curtain- rather, a quilt used as a curtain. The boy Dan pushed it aside and called softly, "Kelsi?"  
  
"I'm here," said a soft voice. The voice sounded somewhat bitter, and hoarse as it added, "Where else... could I be, Danny?"  
  
"I brought a Funny-Man, Kelsi! He wants to do tricks for you!"  
  
Xellos peered at the girl on the bed. Her face was very, very pale and gaunt. She smelled slightly, probably she hadn't taken a bath for a while. So the sickness was gradual. He could sense bitterness and despair from her as well, and he took his fill of emotion as he neared her, smiling.  
  
"Hello, there!" he said cheerfully. "Your brother suggested I show you a few tricks!" He pulled a few flowers 'out of thin air' and held them out to the girl with a flourish.  
  
The girl smiled faintly, and with effort lifted her hand to take the flowers. "Thank you... Mister. Beautiful..."  
  
Xellos looked down at that thin figure on the bed. The girl was only a little older than the boy, old enough to understand what was happening her. She'd stopped fighting. More or less, she was just waiting for the last heartbeat before moving on.  
  
Her face was a shock to him.   
  
Xellos' original plan had been to perform a couple tricks like he had for the boy, drink in as much pain as he could, then leave. But those eyes on the girl... He felt his human body start giving involuntary reactions. A lump formed in his throat, and his eyes began to sting at the thought of leaving after only a couple stupid tricks.  
  
His performance lasted for a couple of hours, at least, with each trick more and more elaborate. At some time the boy had been pulled away by the mother, but Xellos never really noticed. His eyes were forever on the girl's, Kelsi's, and his eyes were open now. Xellos juggled, he told stories, he made stupid jokes, he pulled objects out of 'thin air', he summoned a couple of doves (though, since they represent peace, he had to pause for a moment to be sick outside), and the tricks went on.  
  
When he finally couldn't think of any more tricks, he stopped and watched her. She had a faint smile on her face, like before. "You're so nice, Mister Funny Man," she whispered. "Thank you for those tricks."  
  
"You're welcome, young lady."  
  
"Call me... Kelsi..." She started to cough.  
  
Xellos didn't know why, but he took one of the girl's hands and squeezed it comfortingly as the coughing fit passed.   
  
"They... all leave when... I cough," she said.  
  
"They don't want to see a loved one in pain," he suggested.  
  
"No. They... don't wanna catch it."  
  
/A very observant girl,/ he thought. He said nothing aloud.  
  
"But you... Mister... you're staying..."  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Mister, I'm dying," she whispered. "They're staying away now... they know... the doctors said today... was the day..."  
  
"Are you scared?"  
  
"No. Well, a little... but I'm tired, more, really... just wanna sleep... But I'm scared... of no one being there... Mommy always holds my hand when I go to sleep," the little girl said softly.   
  
The lump in his throat was growing, despite his annoyance. /What's wrong with me? This is just a little village girl I don't even know, and I'm getting as soft as that mother. No, softer than her. She's too tired to even cry now.../  
  
"Mister Funny Man... will you hold my hand... when I go to sleep?" the girl pleaded, her eyes opening for a long moment.  
  
Again the Mazoku had to swallow repeatedly. "Of course, my dear," he said softly. "I will stay here until you sleep peacefully." He kissed her forehead gently.   
  
"Thank you... Mister Funny Man..."  
  
"I'm Xellos. Not a Funny-Man," he said. He hadn't felt anything against not telling the boy and the mother. But, this little girl, she had to know. He didn't know why, but he had to tell her before she went.  
  
"Thank you then... Mister Xellos..."  
  
"Just sleep peacefully, little one. I'll be here."  
  
Xellos held the little girl's hands as she closed her eyes, coughed a few times, then fell asleep. He sat there with his head bowed over her body, watching as her breathing came slower and slower, and sighed when she let out her last breath.   
  
After a moment, he dared look up at her face, and started to choke up. Her face was peaceful, with a tiny smile on her face.   
  
His shoulders quivered dangerously for a moment, then he stood and turned away from the girl. He started to walk out of the room, out of the house. He might have passed the boy and his mother, he might not have, but he didn't know. All he realized was that he was on the road again, and when he came to his senses it was near sunset.  
  
Someone phased in behind him. "I've never seen you react so strongly to a human's death, my general," said a smooth voice behind him. The voice was puzzled.  
  
"It... just reminded me of... when my human mother died, Mistress. That is all. I will... recover shortly..." He managed to keep his voice more or less even.   
  
Zelas watched with some astonishment as her priest fell to pieces before her eyes. "I see. I will leave you alone to your grieving, then." She disappeared.  
  
Xellos squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drive away the memory. The image of his mother slowly wasting away before his eyes on a bed, while he tried to take care of her. The village folk talking about burning the house and his mother in case it would spread... watching her helplessly, trying to save her and failing... Listening to her last words between coughs.  
  
"Thank you, Xellos..."  
  
The memory was enough to start him sobbing.  
  
/Even as a Mazoku, I can't escape it,/ he thought, somewhat furiously, somewhat sadly. /I can never forget. Why can't I forget? Why?!/  
  
After a long while, the Mysterious Priest Mazoku stood and wiped his eyes, forced his face into ^.^ again. Then he took a breath, more or less calming down, and turned to head down the road to the next village. He didn't dare think about the little girl's face, or his mother.  
  
~*~  
  
Um... honestly, I don't know why I wrote this. I hope you enjoyed it though... yeah, I used the idea that he was once a human and his mother died from the same thing that the little girl did in this story. And he became a Mazoku partly to escape his grief. He was a very little boy when he lost his mother. Anyway, um, please review? 


End file.
